Sentara Regional Medical Center CHWs and CHW Supervisors from Rockingham County
On January 30th, IPHI hosted the first Community Health Worker (CHW) Advocacy Day at the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond, VA. Thirty participants from around the state attended the event and met with 20 legislators or their staff. Using pre-scripted talking points, they spent 10-15 minutes talking about CHWs’ work and how critical they are to improving health care quality, improving health and eliminating health disparities, and reducing healthcare costs.
They also specifically asked for support for Senate Bill 1557, submitted by Senator George Barker, for the Virginia Department of Health to be recognized as a Working Group to move forward efforts including certifying CHWs, supporting policies, and increasing the sustainability of CHWs through payment systems for CHWs as a part of an integrated health care team. While the Bill ultimately didn’t pass, this was an extremely successful day and raised much needed awareness for CHWs and the important work they do. We hope next year’s event will be bigger and better!!
On Thursday, January 26th IPHI will hold an open meeting in Richmond, VA to discuss providing support for anticipated state legislation that would legalize syringe access in Virginia.
Syringe exchange and other syringe access and harm reduction programs help curb the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, and can serve as critical access points to health screening, drug treatment, overdose prevention, medical care and other support services for populations facing many health and safety risks. Growing attention to addiction and the surge in opioid overdose in Virginia and across the country may provide a new level of awareness that can finally enable legal support in Virginia.
The purpose of this meeting will be to identify a core group of organizations and individuals willing to assist in educating elected officials and to serve as a collective resource as we move forward toward implementation of syringe access.
IPHI hosted Maryland’s first statewide food summit, Developing a Maryland Food Charter: Statewide Summit, on October 15, 2015. The event included nearly 60 participants from all five regions of the state.
The summit focused on the following:
The current status of potential food systems issues at the state-level
An overview of the outcomes and themes that arose at the regional convenings
Finalizing and prioritizing the strategies across the five food system domains included in the Maryland Food Charter
What is the change you want to see?
A panel of experts answered this question from Grow & Fortify, Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Maryland State Department of Education, and Center for a Livable Future. Their perspectives guided the development of the Maryland Food Charter.
All summit participants refined and strengthened strategies that were included in the first-ever food charter. They also assessed the feasibility of the collective action strategies.
To view and download the Maryland Food Charter, click: here.
Community Health Worker Forum: “Investing in Community Health Workers: Advancing Virginia’s Health, Reducing Cost, and Improving Quality.” April 1, 2015
Freddy Zambrano, Community Health Worker (CHW) for the Fredericksburg Area HIV/AIDS Support Services told an audience of over 75 people about a 65-year-old Spanish-speaking patient, suffering from HIV and breast cancer, who called him frantic about her upcoming release from the hospital with no one to assist her at home. “For hours, I called all of the resources that I could find until I found one agency willing to provide her home health care. Without my help, this woman more than likely would have been readmitted, which is why we need more CHWs,” said Freddy. His story of making a difference in someone’s life was all too familiar to the CHWs, elected officials, public health professionals, hospital and healthcare leaders, funders, and representatives from community based organizations who gathered to discuss how to increase awareness about the critical roles of Community Health Workers in bridging health care and population health in Virginia.
The one-day forum began with a breakfast meeting of state level public policy and health decision-makers, CHWs and others, to raise awareness and identify opportunities for them to support the growth of the CHW workforce. Speakers included Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, State Senator George L. Barker, and a representative from Congressman Rob Wittman’s office, who gave opening remarks. Congressman Scott emphasized that the Affordable Care Act has opened the door to hire more CHWs while Senator Barker underscored that educating legislators about the important role that community health workers play is critical.
Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.
Topics during the morning plenary sessions ranged from the added value of CHWs in achieving the “Triple Aim” of health care (improved population health, improved quality, and reduced costs) to federal CHW initiatives to support the development of CHW models, to the past, present, and future of CHWs in Virginia. Panelists Carl Rush, MRP, Research Affiliate for the Project on Community Health Worker Policy and Practice, a part of the University of Texas Institute for Health Policy, stressed the need to establish sustainability for the work of CHWs and gave examples of success in this area. Some of the audience members made comments to the panel, many of them focusing on the value of CHWs.
The afternoon began with a facilitated discussion among CHWs, such as Freddy, who passionately described the successes and challenges of their jobs. A common thread in their stories was their commitment to their work and the positive impact that they make on the communities they serve.
Community Health Worker Panel moderated by the Virginia Department of Health. Left to right: Christina Benton (Virginia Department of Health), Edith Soler (Healthy Start/Loving Steps Program), Stephanie Carrington (Richmond City Health District & Institute for Public Health Innovation), Freddy Zambrano (Institute for Public Health Innovation).
The afternoon activities concluded with a “Global Café” interactive session in which attendees collaboratively developed ideas for an awareness campaign that would build support for sustaining the CHW workforce among CHWs, the general population, insurers, health systems, and philanthropists.
Global Cafe Discussions.
Forum moderator Michael Rhein, President & CEO of IPHI, ended the conference by issuing a call to action to attendees to continue their efforts after the forum by participating in the Virginia CHW Advisory Group and Statewide CHW Association, supporting efforts within organizations to utilize CHWs in promoting population health and health equity, contributing to the creation of the multi-sector CHW awareness campaign, and participating in high level decision-making regarding the institutionalization and sustainability of CHWs.
“Finally, the community health worker profession is beginning to get the attention it deserves as a critical resource within our health and social service systems. IPHI looks forward to working with leaders across Virginia to help build and lift up this essential workforce,” said Rhein as he wished the attendees a safe travel home.
Michael E. Rhein, MPA, President & CEO, Institute for Public Health Innovation (left); Carl H. Rush, MRP, Community Resources LLC (right)Forum Participants with State Senator George L. Barker (center)Richmond City Health District Community AdvocatesForum Question & Answer SessionSpeaker: Carl H. Rush, MRP, Community Resources, LLCSpeaker: Commander Thomas Pryor, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, U.S. Public Health ServiceMichael O. Royster, MD, MPH, FACPM, Vice President of the Institute for Public Health Innovation (center), leads a Global Cafe discussion.Forum Participants Reem Mohammed (left) and Rebekah Charles (right) from the Harrisonburg Community Health Center.Forum ParticipantsMichael E. Rhein, IPHI President and CEO interviews with Fredericksburg CCTV and explains the role of Community Health Workers in the region.
On Saturday, May 2nd, 2015, join us, Washington Parks & People, and community partners for community health walk in Washington D.C.’s Ward 7. We will walk through Marvin Gaye Park, the District’s longest municipal park, and Kenilworth Park until we reach the Anacostia River. Come ready to learn about the park’s history and share ideas for how to make the park better for our community.
The Institute for Public Health Innovation, with support from the National Network of Public Health Institutes and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will host a forum on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 from 8 AM-4 PM EST titled, “Investing in Community Health Workers: Advancing Virginia’s Health, Reducing Cost, and Improving Quality” at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House Hotel and Conference Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
This 1-day forum aims to increase awareness about the roles of community health workers (CHWs) in bridging health care and population health in Virginia. Sessions will address the role of community health workers in improving community health and supporting financially sustainable, quality health care and delivery systems. Speakers include community health workers from across Virginia, partners at the Virginia Department of Health and community-based organizations, and representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, among others. Attendees will include community health workers and their beneficiaries, and representatives from the health care delivery, legislative and policy, research and academic, community-based, public health, and social service sectors.
Following the forum, participants will have opportunities to become active in statewide CHW groups including the Virginia CHW Advisory Group and Statewide CHW Association; support efforts within organizations to utilize CHWs to promote population health and health equity; and inform the development of strategies to create a multi-sector CHW awareness campaign. These efforts contribute to IPHI’s ongoing portfolio of broadly coordinated policy initiatives in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland, designed to increase the effectiveness of state health systems improvement and planning processes.
In collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Liveable Future, the Institute for Public Health Innovation sponsored a webinar on February 11, 2015 on Food Policy and Regional Food Systems: Opportunities for Networking Across Jurisdictions.
View the recording and presentations from the webinar speakers:
Kathy Ruhf, Senior Fellow with the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Rich Pirog, Senior Associate Director at the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University
Getting healthier snack and beverage choices into vending machines costs less and is easier than you think. Join the the Institute for Public Health Innovation’s HEAL Cities & Towns Campaign for the Mid-Atlantic and the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association for a half-day workshop on implementing Healthy Vending in your city, town, or county! You will leave equipped with the tools, strategies, and resources to immediately improve the snack and beverage offerings in vending machines on city/county property.
CEUs for Parks and Recreation professionals are available through the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association .
The Institute for Public Health Innovation and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future will host a webinar on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 from 1:00 – 2:15 PM EST.
Food Policy and Regional Food Systems: Opportunities for Networking across Jurisdictions
Where does your local food policy council fit within the regional food system? Would you like to play a stronger role in both your locality and at a regional level but not sure how? Functioning with limited resources and volunteer members, it can often be easiest for a food policy council to concentrate locally. By understanding the role of local food policy councils within the context of a regional food system, groups can network across geographies to maximize impact and effectiveness of policy changes.During this webinar, expert panelists will address a number of big picture questions local food policy councils have about regional food systems, including:
The role of local food policy councils within a regional network
When is it beneficial to connect across a region
How to determine your “region” and what to do when definitions vary
Best practices and challenges to organizing and building regional networks, including resources and infrastructure needed
These issues will be addressed to show participants how networking across jurisdictions can positively influence food system change. The webinar will also include time for participant Q&A.
OUR SPEAKERS:
Michael Dimock, President, Roots of Change
Rich Pirog, Senior Associate Director, Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University
Kathy Ruhf, Senior Fellow, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
With closing remarks from:
Mark Winne, Senior Advisor to the Food Policy Networks Project at the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future.
SUGGESTED PARTICIPANTS:
Food policy council coordinators and members, policy-makers, members of the local and regional food system and food system advocates
On October 9th, the Rural Healthcare Development Network (RHDN) of Southern Virginia, an initiative coordinated by the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center’s (SVHEC) Center of Nursing Excellence, took another step forward in learning about the role of Community Health Workers in rural healthcare. Michael Rhein, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI), spoke with the group of healthcare educators, administrators, and policymakers on the work the Institute has done with Community Health Workers or CHWs.
